Profile

This year marks the 30th anniversary of AAG, a leading pioneer, developer and global supplier of technically advanced CNC routing, cutting and engraving solutions. Many of these have achieved benchmark status in the industries served, with the industrial woodworking, furniture production and joinery sectors representing a significant percentage of the 10,000+ machine installations that have taken place during this period.

AAG marks 30 years of growth, innovation and diversification

Founded in Canada in 1991 as AXYZ Automation, the rebranded AAG (a more powerful and readily identifiable acronym for AXYZ Automation Group) now has 13 owned and operated companies throughout the world.

All of these member companies are imbued with the same ethos, culture and best business practices established by the parent company. This recently led to AAG being designated ‘one of Canada’s best managed companies’, based on the group’s achievement in the primary areas of business management that included leadership, innovation, commitment and financial acumen.

The UK is home to AAG’s most successful company outside of Canada, with exponential growth and a new state-of-the-art machine assembly and supply facility set up in 2015 in Telford, Shropshire, to accommodate predicted future growth. This represented a +100% increase in the size of the original facility in Wolverhampton, thus underpinning AAG’s rapid expansion and success in the UK and Ireland and Continental Europe marketplace. This was further augmented by the acquisition by the parent company in 2019 of the North America-based

‘The UK is home to AAG’s most successful company outside of Canada, with exponential growth and a new state-of-the-art machine assembly and supply facility set up in 2015 in Telford, Shropshire, to accommodate predicted future growth’

waterjet cutting technology specialist company, WARDJet, which enabled AAG to diversify into new markets, and in particular those processing materials for which traditional AXYZ CNC routing/cutting machines are not suitable.

Notable product Innovations

Notable product innovations include the earlier introduction of the AXYZ PANELBuilder, the more recent AXYZ Infinite and Innovator combined CNC routing/cutting systems and the latest WARDJet waterjet cutting series of machines. All of the machines are supplied with dedicated design and production software and a raft of both standard and optional productionenhancing machine tools.

With the multi-purpose, large-format AXYZ Infinite and the smaller-format Innovator routing/cutting systems, AAG has comprehensively addressed the requirements of two distinct but complementary sections of the market in terms of size availability and price-to-performance. Both machines are based on the same rigid, solid-steel frame construction and lightweight aluminium processing bed, and supplied with a wide range of standard and optional machine enhancements.

These include a variable-station ATC (Automatic Tool Change) system, the AXYZ Auto Zone Management facility for optimum material hold-down efficiency, and the latest

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A2MC controller with integrated AVS (AXYZ Vision System) for precise material alignment and routing/cutting accuracy.

A further machine enhancement is the latest helical rack-and-pinion drive system. This incorporates a multiple gear teeth configuration that helps spread the workload more evenly, leading to faster material feed rates, quieter machine operation, reduced material wastage and ultimately a longer-than-normal machine life.

AAG CNCShop division

This 24/7 online ecommerce resource has now been redesigned and radically upgraded to enable owners of AXYZ and WARDJet machines to have easier and faster access to a wider range of essential spare parts, accessories and consumables. The site also allows live interaction with specially trained AAG application engineers to ensure that only the most appropriate products are specified for a given application.

The CNCShop division is supplemented with AAG’s bespoke product training courses and online videos, in addition to a financially compelling machine trade-in discount initiative, which complete the range of services available to all AAG customers.

01952 291600 www.axyz.co.uk www.wardjet.com

As they see it . . .

“Since installation of an AXYZ 6010 CNC router, our business has grown rapidly, to the extent that the volume of work we now undertake necessitated the setting up of a second company.”

Greg Shire – proprietor, B2B Exhibitions

“As a leading manufacturer of home improvement products based primarily on plywood and OSB composite board, installation of an AXYZ 4000 CNC router enabled us to fully automate all of the work previously carried out manually. This has led to much faster turnaround times and a consequent larger customer base.”

David Gallagher – MD, Connaught Conservatory Roofs

“We were impressed by the speed with which our new AXYZ CNC router enabled us to achieve our objectives for business growth. In particular, the machine greatly accelerated the processing of materials such as solid oak and birch plywood that the company employs to manufacture the products supplied to the commercial furniture sector.”

Neville Rae – director, Old School Fabrications

“As a major importer, stockist and distributor of timber supplied to the industrial woodworking, furniture production and joinery sectors, we decided to install an AXYZ 4000 CNC router. The choice of an AXYZ router was based on our long and successful association with AAG in its original incarnation and the company’s known reputation for reliable service and for the high quality of its CNC machines.”

Mike Cherry – director, W H Mason Timber Merchants

“‘The AXYZ routers we have installed surpassed all our expectations in terms of increased production capacity, much faster turnaround and a consequent big increase in customers in the bespoke furniture sector.”

Clem Kelly – founder and MD, Assembly Craft

‘Having been impressed by the performance and reliability of AXYZ routers installed at other scenic workshops, we purchased an AXYZ 6010 CNC router. This has enabled us to bring all previously sub-contracted routing and cutting requirements in-house, and led to better quality control and increased capacity for the 20 major stage productions undertaken by the RSC every year.”

Rebecca Cubitt – head of scenic resources, Royal Shakespeare Company